2025 Capture Culture Photo Contest Finalists
Thank you to everyone who submitted photos for our Capture Culture Photo Contest! We had a lot of excellent submissions this year.
We are happy to present this year's winners:
Green Idyll
Lea Kirr
Cities and Landscapes Winner
Echoes of Stillness
Niayesh Allahdad
People and Culture winner
Monipuri Raasleela
Tahneen Nur E Taj
Social Media People's Choice Winner
TOP 5 - Cities and Landscapes Category
Daytime in Venice
Evan Saunders
On my academic exchange at the ULethbridge, I went to Italy during our spring break and took this shot in Venice on one of the bridges, which ended up being one of my favourite photos.
大阪を見下ろす秋のだるま - Fall Daruma Overlooking Osaka
Mika Hanna
A photo taken at Katsuoji Temple during my study abroad in Japan in fall 2024. It's taken from an overlook above the temple grounds and shows Osaka peaking out between the mountains.
Green Idyll
Lea Kirr
A peaceful garden in Ba Na Hills with traditional, colorful lanterns, and tranquil boats on a green pond. This picture was taken at the famous Golden Bridge in Ba Na Hills - Vietnam.
Perfect Reflection
Efren James Elomina
Dream Lake in Luray Caverns, Virginia, USA. In the heart of the Shenandoah Valley lies the largest cavern in the eastern United States. 15 years after my first visit, it's still just as stunning to see the perfect reflection of Dream Lake.
View from Mount Pulag
Emma Rowley
A couple years ago on a backpacking trip in the Philippines I hiked Mt Pulag with a couple local guides and other tourists. We began hiking at 1:30 a.m. to be at the summit for sunrise, but opposite the sunrise the fog was settled in the mountains creating these beautiful layers, and you can see all the tiny villages and houses peppered between the mountains.
TOP 5 - People, Food, & Culture Category
Admiring Picasso
Chantelle Froc
While visiting Dublin, Ireland, I spent a free afternoon exploring the city's vibrant streets, shops, and museums. Wandering through an art gallery I came across these patrons, and the scene seemed just as much a work of art as the Picasso they were were admiring.
Asakusa Street
Alexa Hornford
This was a street performance in Asakusa, Tokyo. I heard music and when I went to investigate this is what I found. The objective was to balance the pole with lanterns. This performer had unfortunately lost his balance and the pole toppled into the large crowd that had gathered.
Echoes of Stillness
Niayesh Allahdad
At an abandoned gas station in Mazandaran, Iran, a lone man sat in silence, so lost in thought he didn’t even notice my camera. Perhaps he was drifting through dreams, or tangled in memories of sorrow and longing. We may never know what he was thinking, yet somehow, we can feel it.
Monipuri Raasleela
Tahneen Nur E Taj
The Manipuri Raas Festival is one of the oldest and most spiritual cultural traditions in Bangladesh. It celebrates the divine love story of Hindu Lord Krishna and Radha, through graceful dance and melodious music performed by the Manipuri community. Dressed in elegant traditional attire, performers dance through the night to the rhythm of drums and flute, creating a mesmerizing scene of faith and beauty. The festival takes place in November on the full moon night.
Sri Lankan Traditional Wedding Jewelry
Upekkha Abhayarathne
A Sri Lankan wedding couple dressed in traditional Kandyan-style clothes and jewelry symbolizes their union and cultural blessings. The bride’s elegant saree and seven gold chains hold deep meaning, representing wealth, health, fertility, courage, love, purity, and divine protection—blessings for a happy, strong, and prosperous married life.